Falcons Name Late Civil Rights Activist John Lewis as Honorary Captain

John Lewis, the longtime member of the United States House of Representatives and Civil Rights activist, has been named the Atlanta Falcons' honorary captain for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn made the announcement during his Friday press conference: "That's a big deal in terms of the exposure and the impact Congressman Lewis had not just on Georgia but on the country overall."

Safety Ricardo Allen, who was voted a team captain this season, addressed the decision to have Lewis be an honorary captain for the team. 

"With everything going on right now in the world, we thought it would be best to start it off with somebody as legendary as John Lewis," he said. 

Lewis died on July 17 at the age of 80 from complications of pancreatic cancer. The Alabama native was one of the original Freedom Riders in 1961 that helped lead to the Supreme Court ruling that segregated interstate bus travel was unconstitutional. 

Lewis walked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Selma protest march in March 1965. He served as a Congressman from Georgia's fifth district in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 1987 until his death.